The present invention relates to a new and improved construction of toilet having a flushing device and self-cleaning toilet seat, wherein there is provided a device for the liquid cleaning of the seat surface of the toilet seat and there is provided drive means for rotating the seat surface of the toilet seat which is mounted upon rollers.
There is already known to the art a toilet wherein the toilet seat is upwardly raised and displaced into a cleaning cabinet or box for the cleaning and disinfection of the toilet seat. This cabinet of course must be larger in size than the toilet seat itself. The cleaning device within such cabinet is complicated in construction and it is not possible to obtain in all instances a satisfactorily cleaned and dried seat surface. Also manipulations carried out at the toilet seat are cumbersome, particularly if under circumstances the seat surface is contaminated or soiled to a greater degree.
It is also known in the prior art, in particular from the German Patent No. 214,183, granted to Hermann Langner on July 10, 1908, to provide a rotatable toilet seat with belt drive means. In that disclosure, the rotatable seat member is provided with rollers mounted on horizontal radial axes and having grooved roll surfaces engaging a circular rib or track formed in the upper rim of the toilet fixture. Such an arrangement is subject to damage, vandalism and contamination by dirt. Furthermore the fixed arrangement of the rollers precludes any adaptation to manufacturing tolerances or inaccuracies. This situation is further aggravated by the formation of the track directly in the toilet fixture which, due to its size and its construction in vitreous enamel, is difficult to produce uniformly and accurately. The result is a high resistance to rotation. The track formed in the toilet fixture is difficult to clean and relatively expensive to produce. Also, the disclosed arrangement cannot be used with readily available conventional toilet fixtures. Finally, with this prior art arrangement the belt drive means is readily accessible from the outside, so that a danger of injury exists, especially when the toilet seat is used by children.